The Federal Government is embarrassed by increased allegations of sexual misconduct in the country’s tertiary institutions, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has said.
Adamu made the remark at the formal presentation of Sexual Harassment Policy Document by the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
The unveiling of the document followed the recent British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)’s sex-for-grades investigation report on some African universities.
Adamu, represented by Mrs Ijeoma Duru, an Assistant Director, Tertiary Education Department in the Ministry, urged students to take their studies seriously to avoid undue exposure to sexual predators.
“The Federal Ministry of Education is embarrassed with the allegations of sex-for-grades in Nigeria’s higher institutions.
“Girls should read their books and be able to defend their certificates and as such, make them less vulnerable to sexual predators.
“They (female students) should stop going to lecturers unnecessarily and also should not harass their lecturers,” he said.
The minister said that UNIPORT was the first university in the country to unveil a policy document against sexual harassment on campus.
According to him, the policy will go a long way in addressing the danger of sexual harassment in institutions of learning.
The Vice-Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Ndowa Lale, said the university frowned at sexual misconduct and was taking actionable steps to tackle the menace.
He said the document defined the rules of engagement between lecturers, administrators and students, including visitors to the university.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that female students went into wild jubilation following the unveiling of the document on campus. (NAN)
